High Road
by BlazeorFade
Summary: A Hunters 'verse ficlet. On their way through Missouri the crew stops in Cape Girardeau. Jack meets Cassie, they don't hit it off.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: High Road**

**Author: BlazeorFade**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: Jack meets Cassie. They don't hit it off.**

**Disclaimer: I own Jack, that's all I'm sayin.**

"Jack don't!" Sam shouted, but it was too late and she couldn't hear him above the roar of the Impala's engine as he pushed the car as fast as it would go.

Jack aimed her .44 at the Black Dog loping after them, the wind tearing at her face. She could barely see anything on the road, just a dark outline, snarling as it gained. She tried to line up the gun but her tightly pulled back hair was coming free and whipping around her face, further compromising her vision. She could hear Sam shouting at her but she was too focused on the task at hand to pay him any mind.

"Sunuvabitch!" Sam gritted his teeth and jerked the steering wheel. He risked a look sideways. Jack was hanging half out the window of the speeding vehicle, her hand clutching the 'oh shit' handle inside the passenger door in a death grip.

What Jack hadn't seen before playing gunslinger out the window was the second Black Dog that had come out of nowhere, trapping them between the two. He turned the car hard, feeling it lift off its wheels on Jack's side for a second as they did a complete 360 pushing a hundred and ten miles per hour.

Jack pulled the trigger just as Sam turned, then the world started spinning and her right arm felt like it was being pulled from its socket, then she was being thrown sideways hard against the car's frame.

Sam reached over and caught Jack's right arm just as it let go and pulled down to keep her form being thrown out of the vehicle, all the while keeping one hand on the steering wheel, trying to regain control. Sam slammed on the brakes, making the car spin further, the smell of burning tires invaded his senses. The car was still spinning when she came crashing back inside and was flung across him, hitting the driver's side with a thunk.

Everything was quiet in the car for a second, while the two stared at each other in awe.

"Oh.-" Jack began.

"Shit." Sam finished.

"You alright?" He asked looking her over. She was sprawled in his lap, looking a bit dizzy, but he couldn't talk. He was seeing double.

"I'm okay." Jack assured, shaking her head to clear it. "Why did you-"

She was cut off by the loud roar of the second Black Dog, circling the front of the car. The damn thing was nearly as big as the car and the other was sure to arrive any second.

"Don't move." Sam said watching the thing sniff at the hood, a growl rising in its throat. It really didn't matter if they were suddenly turned to statues, the creatures had great night vision, superior to most other living things, paranormal or otherwise.

Jack's hand tightened on the gun in her hand. She hoped she was able to get a clean shot off before they did donuts on the empty roadway.

She got her answer a couple seconds later when the Black Dog that had been chasing them sidled up to the car without more than a slight limp to its front legs.

"Sammy, grab my other gun." Jack said through her teeth. He gave a slight nod and reached for the other .44 tucked into the back of her jeans, thumbing the safety off.

He kept it behind her, tracking the monsters' movements with his eyes. He went through the possible scenarios in his mind. Pulling a cut and run wasn't an option, they'd be dead before their feet touched the pavement. If he shot through the front window and Jack the back, there was a chance they could kill them both or at least get out of the car before they decided to attack from both sides. The Black Dogs could easily dematerialize before they even got a single shot off though, rendering the consecrated bullets useless. And fire didn't work against them, so that was out.

"Jack, we're gonna have to pay for some new windows for Dean." Sam said. Jack looked at him, still seated in his lap. His eyes flicked towards her, then the back, then down at himself and towards the front. Jack nodded, understanding the plan.

Jack adjusted herself ever so slightly in her seat so she could look straight out the back window, following the glowing green eyes of her target. Its tongue came out, a fiery red thing and she could practically hear the hiss of flame on its mouth. Sam took up a two handed grip on the gun, raising it eye level and far enough away from Jack so that he wouldn't deafen her with the shots, she copied the motions.

"One…" Sam started.

"Two…"

"Three." The word barely left Jack's lips before the car was lit up with gunfire.

* * *

Dean looked at his car, then up at Sam and Jack, who looked back with guilty looks on their faces.

"I….." He stopped and walked around his baby, surveying the damage.

"How did you even-?" He held up his hands, gesturing from them to the car, his mouth gaping. Dean pinched the bridge of his nose., took a deep not so claming breath and reminded himself that it could be fixed. And they were damn well going to do the fixing.

"Got the Black Dogs." Sam said helpfully. His voice was a little too loud from a slight loss of hearing, stemming from firing off those monster guns Jack insisted on using.

"Wish I could have been there." Dean pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Poor baby, laid low by a little flu." Jack snickered. They'd had to drug him the night before just to get him to rest up while they finished up their latest hunt. His temperature had broken sometime before Sam and Jack staggered back to the motel, covered in glass and too tired to do much.

Now he was up and around and whining like a little bitch about missing their first ever encounter with the legendary Black Dogs.

"I was not laid low!" Dean said defensively. "I was drugged."

"Same thing." Jack said waving his logic off.

"Whatever I know a guy, not far from here who can fix it." Dean groused. "You two are paying for it though."

"Quit whining." Jack said, giving him an apologetic nudge with her arm. She knew his mood was only partly because they'd demolished his car windows. Dean had been worried about them and as soon as he was less likely to throw a punch, they'd never let that bit go.

"So, where's this guy that you trust with your baby?" Sam asked as a stray bit of glass fell from the back windshield.

"I'm doing the fixing," Dean corrected him, "This guy will give you a deal on the glass though and a place to work on it."

"Okay, who is he?" Sam asked again. They were walking back to their motel room, ready to pick up and leave, leaving wads of tissue and over the counter flu meds as the only signs of life in the room.

"Guy named Parker." Dean answered kicking a cough syrup bottle out of the way. "He's not far from here. Cape Girardeau."

The last was said in a low nonchalant manner that was anything but. Dean was looking at a greenish stain on Sam's coverlet and sorting through what could still be deemed wearable.

Sam stopped dead in his tracks looking at Dean's back as he made a show of putting things away. He debate asking Dean if he was sure. What brought this on? Had he heard from Cassie at all? Shit, Sam didn't even know if the two of them had kept in touch.

He looked behind him but Jack wasn't there.

**TBC….**

**AN: This is going to be a two chapter fic for now and later I'll combine it into one long piece. For now though, this is what I had time to post if I want to get the Christmas fic up. Merry Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing except Jack and my writing.**

**AN: I forget to put this in the first chapter, but this is a future fic. Takes place a bit after the Dream. No determinate place in the timeline yet though.**

* * *

Something was off. Jack could sense it during the twenty minute drive to Cape Girardeau. After Dean told them where his buddy Parker lived Jack had retreated to the bathroom in the motel office to pick left over glass off her clothes. Part of her knew she'd done it on purpose when Sam stiffened up. After a tough hunt, she really didn't have it in her to witness an argument or any drama.

"So, you come to Missouri a lot before?" Jack asked from the backseat. She had to speak loudly to be heard over the wind shear from the busted windows.

"Don't fish, you're no good at it." Dean replied, smirking at her from the driver's seat.

Jack gave him the finger and nodded in agreement. Subtlety was not her middle name, obviously.

"Why's it so quiet in here?" She asked. Sam snorted loudly.

"Sam thinks I'm glutton for punishment." Dean said. They came to a red light as they entered the town and Jack could finally hear herself think.

"Why again?" Jack asked.

"You are just full of questions today, aren't you?" Dean asked giving her a sidelong look.

"Fine." Jack said holding up her hands.

* * *

"Spill Sammy." She said cornering Sam in the men's room when they stopped at a gas station.

"Why so curious?" Sam asked with a teasing tone that didn't reach his eyes.

"When have surprises ever been good for us?" Jack countered. "What's in Cape Girardeau?"

"Cassie." Sam said. Jack frowned.

"She was Dean's girlfriend while I was at school," Sam explained running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"It didn't last long but Dean was serious about her." Sam shrugged.

"Dean? Serious? We talking about the same man?" Jack asked skeptically.

"Yeah, " Sam nodded sounding a bit disbelieving himself, "He told her what we do and everything."

"You're shitting me." Jack said her mouth falling open.

"Hey, you spilled about the big bad too once." Sam said with a gentle voice. Jack gave him a dirty look, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sorry." Sam said.

"S'kay." Jack said, closing herself off. "What happened with Cassie?"

"She threw him out." Sam said. "Only to call him back to her when she needed our help."

"You know her then?" Jack asked.

"I met her, when we came to help her." Sam said. He didn't want to say that Dean fell right back in with Cassie, only to have her give him the brush off in the end again.

"She did it again didn't she?" Jack asked reading Sam the way only her and Dean could.

"I don't know if they've been talking or what. Who knows? Maybe she'll feel different this time around." Sam said. His expression said he didn't believe his words.

Jack already hated the woman.

* * *

Parker took one look at the Impala, whistling low and asked what the fuck Dean spent his time doing.

"My little brother's fault." Dean said knuckling Sam upside his head.

"Ow! Jack did it too." Sam said knocking Dean's hand away.

"Suck it up," Jack called from where she was looking under the hood of a car across the shop.

"Hey, don't mess with that." Parker said when he noticed her.

"Needs a new alternator." Jack said backing away from the car.

"I knew that." Parker said scowling, but his eyes ran over the piece.

"Dean said you could give us a deal on the glass." Sam said following Parker across the shop.

"Yeah," Parker said looking up from the car. "Yeah, I'll help ya'll out. Just what the hell happened anyway?"

"Just an accident." Jack said sitting up on the hood of another car.

"Right, right," Parker considered the two of them and shook his head. If they were anything like Dean, and he could tell by the yellowing bruises and telltale cuts that they were, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were involved in.

"Let me show ya what we've got." Parker gestured for Sam and Jack to follow him back to another part of the shop.

"Dean? You comin?" Sam called to his brother, who stood by his precious Chevy, rubbing his finger along what looked like a scratch.

"In a minute." Dean said negligently.

Sam rolled his eyes at him, Jack elbowed him in the stomach and winked. "Lets go."

"Damnit, just had to go shooting up my car…" Dean muttered licking his finger and rubbing at the scratch. He breathed a sigh of relief when it smudge showing it to be just dirt.

"Dean?"

Dean straightened up immediately. He schooled his features, putting on a cocky smirk before turning around.

"Hey Cassie."

"What are you-" She paused looking at the windowless Impala.

"We were a few miles and had some car trouble." Dean explained patting the hood of his baby.

"And that's the only reason you were here?" She asked skeptically.

"Maybe." Dean replied with a grin.

* * *

Sam grudgingly handed over every penny he and Jack scraped together, wishing for once, that they were committing fraud for what they needed again. Jack sat with her legs thrown over the side of a waiting room chair and grumbled under her breath about being broke.

"Saved lives, got the freak of the week out of the way…but noooo can't catch a break." She mumbled. Sam slapped on her booted feet and she blew out a breath, her bangs falling into her eye.

Jack got up from her semi-comfortable seat, asking briefly where the hell the damn bathroom was. Parker pointed the way. Sam shook his head looking over the glass that Parker and one of the other body shop guy's were lifting carefully to measure and walked outside.

Sam noticed two things when he walked out of the auto shop, towards the Impala. One: That Dean was grinning that smarmy grin he used when he was lying through his teeth to somebody and Two: That the somebody in question was a certain ex that Dean had "not" driven them fifty miles out of the way to see.

"Sam, its nice to see you again." Cassie said with a smile. Sam nodded back politely.

"Hey, they're settin it up right now." Sam said jerking his chin towards the interior of the shop.

"Yeah, I have to get back to the office." Cassie said gesturing across the street, where her office was conveniently located. Sam had to check himself so he wouldn't roll his eyes.

"See ya round, Cassie." Sam said more than ready to get to work and get gone.

"Actually, are you going to be in town for a couple of days?" She asked Dean.

"Till the car's fixed, but we really don't have anywhere else to be right now." Dean said after a moment's consideration.

"Good, um, I need to talk to you later." She said chewing her bottom lip.

"Is everything okay?" Dean asked concerned.

"Its fine, I'll call you later, okay?" She said.

"Sure." Dean nodded.

"Bye Dean, Bye Sam." She waved over her shoulder, headed across the street.

"Hey," jack trotted out seconds after Cassie disappeared.

"We doin this or what? You're guy's got a space cleared for the car, just gotta be quick, he said."

"Yeah, right," Dean nodded tossing his keys in the air and catching them.

* * *

"Don't know what you're bitching about, we were the ones who had to go broke for your precious car." Jack said helping Dean hold one end of the windshield steady while he fitted it into place.

"Cause you shot it out." Dean shot back.

"You'd have done the same." Jack said.

"You have done the same." Sam piped in from his seat on a work table in the corner of the shop.

"That was different, I shot one window, one small window." Dean argued.

His phone rang and he cursed under his breath, "Sammy, come hold his here and try not to break it with your giant King Kong hands." Dean called to his brother.

"You're hilarious." Sam retorted sarcastically.

"I try." Dean said with a smirk, he reached into his pocket grabbing his phone.

"Cassie," He greeted after checking the caller I.D. Jack looked up and raised an eyebrow at Sam, who half shrugged while holding the windshield in place.

"Dean, I was wondering if I could meet you and Sam at my house after work. I have this friend and she sorta needs your help, I think." Cassie said into the phone.

"What's the problem?" Dean asked turning serious. Looked like they might have another job fast.

"I'd rather not talk about it over the phone." She said dropping her voice to a low whisper. Mean, Dean thought, that she didn't want anyone at her job hearing her talk about paranormal goings-on and thinking she was crazy.

"Alright, what time should we be at your house?" Dean asked.

"Six is fine." Cassie said sounding relieved.

"Okay," Dean agreed, then he glanced over at Jack, "Our friend Jack is coming too okay?"

"Jack? Is Jack a hunter too?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah." Dean said with a smile that reached his voice. He heard someone calling Cassie in the background at her job.

"That's my boss, I have to go. I'll see you six." Cassie said hastily.

"See you at six." Dean replied before hanging up.

"Got a hunt." Dean said pocketing his phone.

"Cassie having trouble?" Sam asked.

"A friend of hers, she wants to talk at her house tonight." Dean answered.

"Will this be ready by then?" Jack asked looking down at the windshield, they still had the back window to get up.

"I don't think so, we'll hoof it there, leave my baby for tonight." Dean said without relish. He hated to leave the car in someone else's care. Fuck, this sucked out loud, he thought.

"So I get to meet the infamous Cassie." Jack said slyly.

"Sam," Dean sent him a look.

"Shut it up, you got to meet my ex. So long as I don't have to put a bullet to her, I think I win at the evil-ex lover game." Jack rolled her eyes, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Be nice." Dean told her. Sam noticed that Dean didn't bother to refute the 'ex' title.

"I'm always nice." Jack responded. Sam didn't try very hard to cover the snort and Jack wished she had a free hand to smack him one.

* * *

Jack and Cassie standing in the same zip code isn't something Sam thought should ever happen. Yet, here the two women were about to come face to face in her home. With his brother in the middle. Sam didn't envy him as they walked across town to the house. He glanced at Jack, who shuffled along between him and Dean. Her torn jeans, her hooded white Henley and the military style vest, guarding against the slight rainy chill. Why was it always wet when they arrived in a town, Sam wanted to know. He shook his head, Jack was the anti-thesis of Cassie, who wore nice if casual office clothes and went to college. Who he'd bet had never thrown a punch in her life.

"What are you thinking about Sammy?" Dean asked, glancing to his right, at his brother.

"Wondering why its always so damn rainy when we stop somewhere for more than a night." Sam said glancing up at the dark clouds that made the twilight grey and dismal.

"Always sunny when we leave." Dean shrugged.

"That was so corny." Sam laughed.

"Still true, Sammy Boy." Jack said kicking at a stone on the ground.

Dean shrugged, whistling a Johnny Cash song as they walked the rest of the way to the house.

* * *

Jack was not what Cassie was expecting and she made damn sure the younger woman knew it from the start.

Dean knocked on the front door to Cassie's home and waited for her to answer.

"Dean, hey. Thanks for coming." Cassie greeted him as soon as she opened the door.

"Its not a problem." Dean said with a gesture of his hand. He leaned in and gave Cassie a brief hug, before stepping back. Sam made a coughing sound and sent a pointed look at Dean. Dean rolled his eyes at his brother for thinking he forgot. Jack smirked at Sammy Dean smiled at his ex, gesturing at Jack, who stood next to Sam with her arms crossed casually over her stomach.

"Cassie, this is Jack. Jack this is Cassie." Dean introduced them. Neither woman made an immediate effort to come forward and exchange pleasantries. Mostly because Jack just didn't have any to exchange. She nodded at Cassie, one side of her lips curving upwards.

"Hey." She said shortly, her voice a low rumble, raspy from her midnight activities the night before last.

Cassie's eyes zeroed in on the near invisible healing bruise on Jack's chin and the little telltale nicks that her collar and hair didn't conceal. She didn't much hide her disapproval.

"Nice to meet you." Cassie said without smiling. She glanced in Dean's direction, cleared her throat and ushered them inside with a, "Please come in."

Dean walked in first followed by Jack and Sam, Sam closing the front door behind him.

"Were you in an accident?" Cassie asked Sam with a little smidgen of concern on her expression. Sam, who had similar cuts to the ones Jack brandished shook his head.

"Tough hunt." Sam told her. Cassie stiffened, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Glad everyone is alright." She said. "Have a seat please." She waved a hand towards the living room.

Sam sat down, Jack took a seat on the arm of the couch next to him and Dean just leaned against the entryway frame, crossing his arms over his chest. Cassie sat down in the arm chair across from the couch.

"Cassie, why don't you tell us about your friend's problem." Sam said leaning forward a little as per habit.

"Her name's Melanie and we work together," Cassie started. "She said ever since she moved into her new place, she's been hearing strange noises."

"What kind of strange noise?" Dean asked.

"Shuffling, groans. She wasn't all that specific. Just that the whole place gives a bad feeling and its usually at night." Cassie said, a frown creasing her brows.

"Does she live in a house or apartment?" Sam asked.

"A house," Cassie answered.

"Is this place new or has it been around for awhile?" Jack asked next.

"Is that important?" Cassie asked.

"Because if its an old place, it might have some history for us to look into," Sam answered.

"Or it could just be a place settling itself." Jack mused. "Old places can do that, spook a body."

"That could be the case if its new too." Dean pointed out.

"Does Melanie think it might be something up our alley?" Sam asked.

"No, she hasn't mentioned anything like that, but I know its been bugging her and I thought maybe while you guys are in town you could take a look." Cassie said.

"Think she'll pay us?" Jack asked, earning herself a kick by Sam.

"Ow!" Jack said slapping his arm, "What the hell was that for, Sammy?"

"We don't charge people for hunting." Sam said slowly like she was mentally challenged.

"Maybe we should, we're broke now." Jack grumbled rubbing her shin. She glared at Sam, who rolled his eyes at her.

"What its true." Jack said under her breath. She caught Dean's girl-toy looking at her oddly and bared her teeth a little.

Dean cleared his throat and sent her that look that meant behave or die. It was a look she'd only ever seen on John. Turned out, Dean was good at it too.

She sent a cold look in Cassie's direction just to annoy him. She was hungry, tired and broke. And she didn't like Cassie asking Dean for a favor after blowing him off a year ago.

Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn't like being there. He didn't like this hunt, and he hated that his brother was already on the path to getting hurt again by Cassie. Sam was sure that as soon as this was done, she would do the same song and dance as before. Start naming all the reasons she didn't want to see Dean again.

"Maybe if I talked to her you could work something out." Cassie said frowning, she did that a lot, Sam noticed.

"What's Melanie's address, we can swing by there, after we pick up the car and do a scan of the place before writing a bill for a creaky floor and rodents scampering." Dean said. Jack sent him her most innocent smile.

"Melanie is still at the office, Dean and I can go talk to her get the keys." Cassie told Sam.

"Don't need a key." Sam said.

"You can't break in." Cassie said disapprovingly.

"We won't break anything, just some sleight of hand." Jack said leaning back and putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"That's against the law." Cassie stated the obvious.

"It would be better if it was done our way Cas," Dean explained. "Your friend might be creeped out but she might not be ready for the whole, 'The truth is out there' speech either. Besides if we find anything we'll give her the heads up and do our jobs."

"She isn't going to be at the office much longer. What if she comes home while they're in there?" Cassie asked him. Sam did not miss they 'they're'. Dean did.

"Maybe you should give her a call, ask her out to dinner tomorrow night or something. Do whatever it is girl's do together." Dean said with a shrug. "We'll be free to do a walk through."

"I'll see." Cassie reached for her cordless phone, walking into the next room.

A few minutes later she returned with a guilty smile.

"When?" Dean asked before she could say anything.

"Tomorrow night at eight. House will be all yours." Cassie said. She looked in Jack's direction, giving her an appraising look that the redhead knew well.

"Don't worry I'll try to curb the impulse to steal anything. Although all that Ikea furniture and twins sets will be tempting." Jack purred giving Cassie a once over. She smirked, arms crossed over her chest.

**TBC……**

**AN: This was supposed to be a one-shot but now its turned into more than that. R&R. I need 'em.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing except Jack and my writing.**

Almost before the Winchesters and Co were out the door, Cassie was on the phone, dialing a familiar number.

"Hello, Mr. Hartley?" She asked pleasantly when the other line picked up.

"Yes, speaking?" Dennis Hartley asked in a short professional manner.

"This is Cassie Robinson, we met a few months ago." Cassie responded.

"The reporter, yes I remember." Dennis said.

"Good, I um, I have a favor to ask of you." Cassie said looking out the window at the retreating backs of the three hunters. Her eyes zeroed in the red haired woman laughing at something Dean said, bumping her shoulder into Sam's.

* * *

The motel was a few blocks from the garage where Dean's baby would be spending the night, but for all Dan's moping someone would think it was a thousand miles away. He set himself to setting up the cot they'd requested from the manager's office for Jack, a task that she usually would have done herself, but hey, she thought, if the man wanted to cover her chores, who was she stand in his way? Jack snickered, flipping through the channels. Sam snatched the remote from her, using his height to his advantage, even though the two were sitting down on his bed. 

"Golden Girls marathon you're missing?" Jack asked with a lopsided grin, poking him in the chest, hard.

"Jackass." His favorite thing to call her.

"So original." Jack rolled her eyes, settling back against the headboard while Sam began to flip through the channels, discovering quickly that there was nothing on. Jack whistled and nodded towards the little cardboard display on top of the tv with the half naked chicks adorning it.

"Casa Erotica? Hmmm sounds interesting, Sammy. We can leave you alone if you want. Or perhaps they have Beach Studs the original." She laughed at his glare.

"I'm gonna go get us some food." Dean said finally finishing up with the bed. "Do the room while I'm gone."

"I think that since we paid today you should do all that, you seem to be having fun with necessities tonight." Sam said smugly. Jack nodded in agreement and ducked as Dean threw one of the motel pillows at them.

"What do you wanna eat?" He asked them. "Burgers?"

"Fine." Sam shrugged.

"Big burgers. Kill a cow if you have to." Jack said.

"Get me a couple of salads." Sam called as Dean opened door to leave.

"Sure thing, Samantha." Dean said over his shoulder.

"Hey," Sam turned to her a few minutes after Dean shut the door behind him. Sam as sure that Dean's going out for some take out was just na excuse to go check up on his car, that would probably take a few minutes but he wanted to get this out as quickly as possible anyway.

"Yeah?" Jack turned to him a curious look on her face, her right eye straying to watch the episode of MASH they'd settled on.

"I know you don't like Cassie, hell neither do I." Sam started. Jack gave him her full attention.

"But try and take the high road for Dean's sake, Jack." Sam implored her.

Jack looked away made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, looked back at Sam with a question in her expression and made the sound again when he nodded a tired yes, an amused smile playing across his lips.

It wasn't a question of why. That was easy enough and t hey both knew it. Once Dean cared about you, he was hard pressed to stop. It took a lot to get him to stop giving a damn once he did. And unfortunately he still gave a damn about Cassie.

"I don't have to like it though." Jack said defiantly.

"Neither do I, but Dean does." Sam said leaning back to watch Hawkeye being lowered into a foxhole dressed as Santa.

"If she turns evil-" Jack started.

"You can shoot her, but until then, try not to." Sam said, placating her.

* * *

Dean woke to a knocking on their door. 

"Sam get the door!" He ordered burying his head deeper in his pillow.

"Lazy bastard." Sam muttered stumbling, only half awake, to the door. Sam looked carefully out the window before opening it and saw Cassie standing there, dressed, he presumed, for work.

"Hey." He said in confusion as he cracked open the door.

"Good morning Sam." Cassie said taking in his bed head and shirtlessness.

"Are you going to invite me in? " Cassie asked slowly when the conversation lapsed awkwardly.

"Um, okay. Just hold on a sec." Sam told her. She nodded and he closed the door/

Neither Dean nor Jack had budged from their beds.

"Hey, get up, we got company." Sam said slapping Jack's foot hanging over the side of her bed. She mumbled something that sounding like 'fuck off' and tugged the thin motel blanket over her head.

Sam shook his head, grabbing up a shirt before trying to jostle Dean out of his bed. Nothin doin.

"Put up the Do Not Disturb sign and leave me alone." Dean said throwing a dirty look at Sam through one cracked eye.

"5-0!" Sam shouted as loud as he could. Jack and Dean shot right the hell out of bed for that. He fell back onto his bed laughing at the bewildered two.

"Ugh, I hate you." Jack groaned rubbing her eyes, annoyed.

"I know. Get dressed, we have work to do." Sam told them.

"Who the hell is at the damn door?" Dean demanded glaring at Sam.

"Cassie." Sam replied, walking to the door to open it for their unexpected guest. Once in a blue moon someone other than the three of them entered their motel rooms, it never happened often enough to take away the unease of the situation. Wherever they stayed became a temporary HQ for all things involving the job, a peek into their day to day lives. John's journal lay beside the laptop on the table, a tin of rocksalt was on the floor by the door, Dean's journal was on the night stand between the beds, open to a page cataloguing the different types of shape shifters he'd encountered. Not exactly the kind of thing you invited strangers to see. Cassie stepped gingerly over the lines and looked around the room with a carefully blank expression, clutching her purse like a lifeline.

"So you share a room." Cassie stated when she saw Jack sitting on the edge of her bed, scratching her head sleepily, her tank top riding up a little showing the edge of her tattoos.

Jack muttered something that wasn't human language and slinked off to the shower to try and blast herself awake with cold water.

"Last room in the place." Dean told Cassie with a yawn he didn't try to stifle.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"I thought I'd come by and tell you that Melanie will be in meetings today with the editor, so if you want t o go over there now, you can." Cassie said sitting down on the chair not crowded with bags.

"What time is it?" Jack called through the bathroom door.

"8." Sam answered, yawning. Sam heard an annoyed throaty sound on the other side of the door before the shower went on. He couldn't blame her. They'd stayed up late into the night, looking through obits for anything that looked promising for after they left Cape Girardeau.

"Hurry up in there, gotta get a move on." Dean ordered.

Jack rubbed at her sleep sore joints before pulling on a faded pair of jeans. The icy water had done nothing to improve her usual anti-morning outlook, but it had given her brain the jolt it needed until she got some coffee into her system.

"Shower's free." She said opening the bathroom door. Sam was the only one in the room.

"Dean said to meet him and Cassie at the diner next door." Sam explained, grabbing some clean clothes from his bag.

"I'll head over there, make sure Dean doesn't put salt in your coffee." Jack said giving Sam a cheeky smile.

"Who's gonna make sure you don't?" Sam asked on his way to the bathroom.

"My conscience." Jack responded. Sam snorted, closing the bathroom door.

She could see Dean and Cassie sitting in a booth by the dingy windows in the diner, already sipping at coffee, two untouched cups in places across from where they sat side by side. Jack chose to ignore that. She'd picked the shirt she was wearing on purpose, a worn, red hoodie that had taken a claw clear across the midsection. No sense in wasting a good shirt, Jack had just cut the whole bottom half off, showing her tattooed stomach whenever she wore it.

She thought it would fit well with the assumptions Cassie had already made of her. That she a thief, a delinquent and not to be trusted. Form the covert look she got, she knew it had done its job.

"Food?" Jack asked sliding into the seat opposite Dean.

"Waiting for you and Sam." Dean answered. Jack gave him a look. "Tall stack and eggs, Jack."

"And a fruit salad for our healthier half." Jack grinned.

"Don't know where I went wrong with him." Dean replied shaking his head. Sam walked through the front door and spotted them right away

"Food?" Sam asked, parroting Jack, unintentionally.

"You're a bad influence." Dean accused.

"He ordered breakfast for us, gentleman that he is." Jack informed him.

"Yum." Sam said sitting down next to her.

"How long have you three been hunting together?" Cassie asked, reminding everyone that there was a rare fourth at the table.

"Don't even know what day it is. How would we know that?" Dean laughed.

"Its been a while now." Jack said taking a sip from her coffee.

"Goin on a year I think." Sam said yawning.

"Do you travel together or…." Cassie trialed off awkwardly.

"Yeah." Jack answered with a shrug.

"I didn't catch your last name yesterday." Cassie said with a smile at Jack.

"You're a curious woman, aren't you?" Jack asked, her voice hardening.

Sam kicked her under the table. She kicked him back.

"What's your friend's address?" Dean asked clearing his throat.

"Here." Cassie took a pen out of her purse and scribbled down the address in her neat hand.

"That's not far from here." Dean commented pocketing the address.

"You should get back to your office. We'll see if there's anything to this and go back tonight with whatever we might need." Sam told Cassie with a reassuring smile.

"If we need anything." Jack tacked on, finishing her coffee.

* * *

The house was a small two story clapboard standing far enough away from its neighbors to afford the illusion of cozy seclusion. Half of the outside was already painted light blue, closed up cans stacked in front of the one car garage. The locks weren't a problem because the doors weren't locked and as Sam often found in these kinds of quiet places, there was no alarm system. It was a thief's wet dream, aside from there being nothing of legitimate value inside. 

"I feel like a criminal, doing this is in middle of the day." Dean commented taking the EMF out of his bag.

"You are a criminal." Sam replied without missing a beat.

"I don't feel anything." Jack frowned looking for cold spots with the scanner.

"I'll check for a basement." Sam said.

"I'll get the upstairs." Jack volunteered with a yawn. She already thought this was going to be a bust and just wanted to go back to bed.

Dean strode around the room casually, a bit too bored for his own good. It was usually pretty easy to keep his mind on a potential job, he was used to hours of doing nothing but waiting and watching. He found his mind wandering however as he scanned the front hallway and moved on to the kitchen, not getting much of anything out of the EMF.

He thought about the awkward morning at the diner. How Jack and Cassie, probably two of the most important woman in his life in recent memory, had taken an instant dislike to one another. He scratched his head. A bad feeling was nagging at him.

Its just cause your Baby isn't here, he told himself telling himself to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Cassie brought up the picture she'd taken Jack at the diner as she left to go back to work. It was a clear picture of her profile, it would do just fine. She sent it to Dennis Hartley. The picture should work just as well as a name, Cassie thought, waiting for a reply. 

_-Will Do Fine- Dennis_

Cassie smirked and started going over the proof of her latest piece.

* * *

Jack was humming under her breath, seriously contemplating taking a nap in Melanie's bed while she scanned her room. She was so distracted she didn't notice the cold spot till she'd almost passed it by. She back tracked and ran the scan over the dresser once again, whistling when a small brass bell lit up like a bright blue Christmas tree. 

Jack snatched it up, tossed it in the air and left the bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Found something." Jack called out.

"What is it?" Dean asked when she showed him the knick knack.

"Bell." Jack answered.

"Thank you." Dean rolled his eyes at her and plucked it from her hands. "Looks old." He said looking the thing over.

"Do your thing." Jack said falling back onto the couch. Dean opened his mouth to say something when they heard a car come up the driveway.

"Shit." Jack jumped to her feet, gesturing for Dean to find Sam.

Looking through the peep hole, Jack spied a woman in her late twenties, with light brown hair, talking into a cell phone. She thought back to the living room mantle and recognized the woman from the pictures there.

Dean appeared with Dean at his side, raising his eyebrow at her. Jack jerked her chin upstairs and the two men nodded, retreating up the stairs with Jack following closely behind.

"What is that?" Sam whispered furrowing his brow in confusion.

"What?" Jack asked. On the ground level, Melanie had entered her home, still talking on the phone, they could hear her toss her keys on the hall table.

"Dunno, feels like….something." Sam said scratching his head.

"We'll talk about it outside." Dean said. Sam nodded, still frowning.

One by one, the three slipped silently out the bedroom window, without leaving a trace of themselves behind.

"Do you have the bell?" Jack asked as they hopped a fence and cut through a neighbors backyard. They walked at a leisurely pace after that.

"Yup." Dean brought the antique out of his pocket, holding it up for them to see.

"You feel anything, Haley Joel?" Dean asked tossing the bell carelessly to Sam, who caught it, giving Dean a sour look.

"Yeah." Sam said after a few seconds, looking down at the thing. He handed it back to Dean "Think this is what's been disturbing Melanie?" He asked.

"You're the psychic." Dean shrugged, pocketing it again.

"Guess there's no harm in checking if it has a history." Sam said.

"We can pawn it if it doesn't." Dean said, ever the optimist.

"We're returning it to her if and when we figure out if its got something to do with the disturbance." Sam lectured.

"Yeah, yeah, you're not a criminal, we know." Dean replied sarcastically.

"Hey Sam, what's the name on your fake Homeland Security badge again?" Jack asked. Dean snickered.

"Fine, make jokes," Sam said casually, smirking at them. "When you end up in jail one day, I'm gonna use my fake badges and id's to pretend I don't know either of you."

"Oh Sammich, don't be that way." Jack said putting on a fake pout.

"He'd be lost without us Jack-Jack. Wouldn't know what to do with himself." Dean assured her arrogantly.

"Yeah, what would I do without my two best felons." Sam laughed.

"Damn right." Dean asserted.

* * *

"Found something." Sam said leaning back from the computer a couple of hours later. "Its an antique Melanie purchased at an online auction a few weeks ago." 

"Around when she moved into her house?" Dean asked, looking up tossing a ball in the air.

"Yeah, right after, actually." Sam said.

"What's the history behind it?" Jack asked. She was seated on her cot, writing down notes about Black Dogs in her hunting journal.

"At least someone's pretending to work." Sam grumbled, glaring at Dean.

"I'm working on my hand eye coordination." Dean argued tossing the ball up again. Sam lunged forward and caught it before Dean could and set it down next to the laptop.

"You can have it back after school." He chastised Dean.

"Haha." Jack taunted Dean.

"Teacher's pet." Dean accused.

"Children, can we?" Sam asked gesturing at the computer screen.

"Fine." Dean sat upright and Jack put closed the leather journal, both looked at him expectantly.

"It belonged to the last living member of a very wealthy family outside St. Louis. A Rose Bertrand, who passed away a few months ago at the age of 97." Sam read from the page. Dean whistled when he heard the age.

"Anyway, most of her estate was donated to charities and a local historical society there. When the historical society needed money, they put pieces up for auction to raise funds."

"And tragic history with the family?" Dean asked.

"Rose's daughter died of Cholera in the thirties. The bell was a gift at the little girl's birth." Sam said.

"Maybe Rose's spirit fastened on to the bell." Jack suggested. "Probably not even a violent spirit, just a mother who couldn't let go."

"Its likely." Sam nodded.

"So we purify the bell and it should be fine." Dean said.

"I don't know." Sam said with a doubtful look.

"What? We've got the supplies, got the ritual in Jack's book. What's the problem?" Dean asked.

"It wouldn't be too long of a drive to the cemetery the family plot is in." Sam said looking at the address at the bottom of the historical societies information page on the Bertrand family.

"We cold drop the bell off there." Sam said.

"Let her be with her daughter." Jack nodded in agreement.

"That's all well and good now but what if the spirit becomes violent later on?" Dean asked with a 'duh' expression directed at the two of them.

"Then we come back." Sam said simply.

"Well, okay, I guess." Dean said slowly.

"Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves." Jack said opening her book back up. "Should find out tomorrow if the house is still acting up, before we make a drive to a bone yard."

* * *

Cassie invited the trio to her house for an early dinner before her outing with Melanie that she couldn't get out of now. 

Most of the evening was scattered with talk between her and Dean, talking about their short time together as a couple. They didn't talk much about what Dean did, no shop talk at all, which was completely unprecedented with them. Every time something came close to the subject Cassie would hedge around the conversation and bring it back to something safe and normal.

"Do you remember when I dragged you to that county fair?" Cassie asked Dean, who laughed embarrassed.

"Didn't I win you some stuffed duck or something?" Dean asked shooting Sam a dirty look when he snorted, biting his lip to keep form laughing.

"It was a stuffed penguin, actually." Cassie corrected him with a smile.

"Whatever, it was one of those shooting games." Dean defended his manliness.

"Cause that's what real men win at?" Jack asked, trying to imagine the situation without laughing.

"He hit every target." Cassie said.

"Of course he did, Dean's been holding a rifle since he was seven." Sam said.

"Seven?" Cassie asked.

"I was a natural." Dean said proudly.

"Thank God for that, its our asses if you miss on the job." Jack chuckled. Cassie took a gulp of her drink, hiding the frown that crossed her face, but not before Jack caught it.

"I'm so glad you came through town. I've been thinking a lot about you lately Dean." Cassie said warmly when they were finished eating.

"Yeah, I guess its a good thing we had a job close by." Dean smiled. Cassie's smiled faltered and she rose.

"I'll clear the table, get us some coffee." Cassie said.

"We can help." Sam offered.

"No, please, you're guests." Cassie protested sternly like a good hostess.

She cleared away her and Dean's plates, coming back for Sam and Jack's.

"You can make yourselves at home in the living room." She called from the kitchen.

Dean was the first to take her up on this, leading the way there.

"Yo, where's your bathroom? Jack called. She thought she heard something being mumbled in the kitchen.

"Down the hall, to you right." Cassie answered.

On her way back, Jack detoured at the kitchen. She leaned against the doorway watching Dean's ex fill the coffee maker and turn it on.

Cassie jumped a mile high when she turned to see Jack leaning casually against the door jamb.

"S'okay, just me." Jack assured, tamping down on some malicious part of her that enjoyed scaring the woman.

"Coffee will be ready in a minute." Cassie told her coldly, turning her back on Jack to get some coffee cups out of the cabinets. Jack crossed the room, fast and silent, taking a place behind Cassie.

"You don't like me, do you?" Jack said startling Jack again. Cassie regained her composure.

"And if I don't?" Cassie challenged, taking an unwise step closer to Jack.

"I don't much care." Jack said smirking. "But I do care what happens to Dean."

"I can see that." A spiteful smirk crossed Cassie's lips. "What exactly are you to him?"

"Honey, if I wanted Dean-o he'd be on his back already." Jack said with a throaty chuckle, her deep drawl coming out hiding. She forced down an unwelcome thought that contradicted that claim. Like hell was she jealous.

"See, I know your type," Jack continued. "You think he'll change, that you can fix Dean. You think he'll leave this job behind if you give him the ultimatum. Am I getting close?"

"Dean can change. He doesn't have to be a low life drifter like you. I'll make sure-" Cassie sneered.

"Problem with your theory, bitch," Jack interrupted and closed the tiny gap between them, using her superior height to advantage. She dropped her voice low, "There's nothing wrong with Dean. He's fine the way he is and if you hurt him, I'll hurt you. I'm good at that, being a low life and all."

"Hey is the cof-" Sam stopped in the doorway seeing Jack and Cassie less than a centimeter apart, menace dripping off of Jackie.

"Almost." Jack turned towards him, her voice barely above a growl. She reached around Cassie and grabbed a cup, tossing it to Sam. He caught it easily.

"Everything okay in here?" He asked taking a step forward.

"Good, Sam-I-Am. We were just having a talk. Just 'tween us girls." Jack said taking a mug for herself and walking to pour coffee for herself, a beatific smile on her face. She didn't give Cassie a backwards glance on her way out.

Cassie cut their little visit short, saying she still had to get ready to meet her friend. Jack wasn't surprised, neither was Sam. Dean was, of course, oblivious.

"What did you say to her?" Sam asked in a whisper as they waited in the newly returned Impala for Dean to say goodnight.

"She'll be fine." Jack waved him off.

"She looked terrified." Sam said glancing back at the house.

"I just told her what you or Dean would say on my behalf, hurt my friend you die." Jack said with a smile.

"You couldn't have ignored her, taken the high road?" Sam asked equal parts amused and annoyed.

"I did." Jack protested.

"You have a warped idea of what taking the high road means." Sam laughed shaking his head.

"At least I didn't shoot her." Jack pointed out.

"Too bad she's demonic." Sam said wistfully.

"I'm still not sure about that." Jack said.

"I slipped Holy water in her coffee. She's a bitch but she'd not evil." Sam said. They both fell silent as Dean opened the driver's side door and slipped behind the wheel.

"I missed you, baby." Dean said rubbing his hands over the steering wheel.

"Dude even I didn't get that hands on with Alice." Jack said shaking her head at him.

"Et tu, Brutus," Dean shook his head in faux betrayal and started the car.

**TBC……**

**AN: Next chapter is the last, I intended to finish it with this one, but I decided to split things up. Cassie shows her true colors and we get a nice ending to things. Cross your fingers that my muses will keep the good stuff coming, chickadees. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: No ownership, otherwise I'd be rich.**

**AN: Finally, the last chapter of this one-shot gone wild. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, threatened and guilted me into getting my raggedy ass back to work. You ROCK!**

* * *

The trip to St. Louis would be short one person.

"Do all three of you really have to go, just to drop off a bell?" Cassie asked two days later when Dean called to find out how Melanie had been sleeping since their little visit. Jack sat at the table across from Sam on the bed while Dean spoke with Cassie.

"We need to shag ass to another job after we're done there." Dean explained.

"Actually," Sam interrupted, wincing because he really didn't want to say this. "Dean, you should probably stay here while me and Jack drop the bell off."

"What?" Dean asked frowning.

"What?" Jack asked looking at Sam.

"St. Louis isn't exactly a great city for you to be setting foot in right now." Sam said with a significant look to his brother. The whole wanted killer thing didn't tend to go over well with the police when said suspect decided to waltz back into the city limits.

"Cassie let me call you back." Dean hung up so they could speak freely.

"You're still dead, do you really want to risk someone there seeing you?" Sam asked bluntly.

"Ooo-kay." Dean nodded his head, apparently he hadn't thought about that. He sent a questioning look at Jack, to get her opinion.

"We would have had to turn around and come this way again anyway." Jack shrugged. "We'll just pick you up when we're done."

"Be careful." Dean told them as per habit as he walked them out to the Impala.

"Not the most dangerous trip in the world, Dean. We'll call when we're on our way back." Sam assured his over-worried brother.

"I'm not worried about your asses. You fuck up my car again and you're both dead." Dean threatened, glowering at Sam.

"Your concern is over-whelming." Sam scoffed.

"You be good Dean." Jack teased sliding him a sly smirk over the hood of the car and opened the passenger side door.

"You first." Dean retorted. He tapped the hood of the car, stepping back when Sam turned the ignition. He watched them drive away till he could no longer make out the shape of the Chevy.

* * *

Jack reclined in the front seat, putting her feet up on the dash board . Sam smirked and rolled his eyes, nobody would dare to do that if Dean was in the car. But he was listening to the only modern music he'd heard in weeks on the radio, so Sam wasn't about to call Jack on anything.

"Gotta say its good to hear something besides Metallica or Motorhead." Jack said turning the radio up a little louder.

"Don't know how you guys can stand that stuff." Sam shook his head.

"Sensitive ears?" Jack asked teasingly.

"Yeah, from a friggin cannon going off next to ears a few days ago." Sam replied with a good natured scowl.

"I think my ears are still ringing from that." Jack said, amazed that they weren't both deaf after that fiasco. "Hell of a ride though, right?" She waggled her eyebrows at Sam.

"You're a freak." Sam deadpanned.

* * *

Dean didn't like being left behind, he also didn't like the piss-poor reason Sam had given. He was pretty sure that the actual reason Sam had given Dean an excuse to stay behind was so Dean could spend some time with Cassie, say bye, tie up some loose ends. That's what he and Cassie's relationship was; one giant loose end. What possessed Dean to even suggest coming here in the first place was anyone's guess. Maybe he wanted something familiar in the chaos he called his life, maybe he'd just been feeling nostalgic when they finished the Black Dog job, or perhaps it was just a decision based on too much cough medicine when he was sick. He wasn't sure himself.

Dean killed time packing his things up so he'd be ready to leave as soon as they got back and wandered over the diner for some lunch. He was halfway out the door when his cell phone rang.

"Speak of the devil." Dean muttered to himself looking at the caller ID.

"Hey," Dean greeted Cassie. "I was just going to grab some food."

"You're still in town?" She asked.

"Yeah, Sammy and Sparks are dropping the bell off and coming back for me later." Dean told her.

"Why don't you come over here for lunch, Dean." Cassie replied.

"Alright, gimme a minute, I'm hoofin it today." Dean said snapping the phone shut. He had a vague sense of foreboding but shrugged it off. When wasn't there some kind of bad hanging over them?

Twenty minutes later he was knocking on Cassie's front door.

"Dean," Cassie greeted him warmly, opening the door wide so he could enter. She kissed his cheek and gave him a big smile.

Dean raised an eyebrow, scratching the back of his head in a nervous automatic response to the intimate gesture. He never knew how to react to those sorts of things. He decided he'd be better off just ignoring the embrace and after a couple of awkward seconds Cassie led him into the kitchen where she already had sandwiches set out..

"You don't work today?" Dean asked taking a seat.

"Its Saturday, Dean." Cassie told him with a strange look.

"Oh, right." Dean replied. He'd lot track of what day it was. Hell, it took him a second to remind himself what the hell month it was. There were no such things as weekends off in his line of work.

"What have you and Sam been up to? When you aren't hunting I mean." Cassie tacked on taking a sip from her Coke.

"When we're not hunting," Dean snorting, taking a second to think about t hat one. "Sleeping, eating, enjoying the luxury of being run out of whatever back road town we just saved." He grinned ruefully.

"Have you had a lot of dangerous jobs since the last time we saw each other?" Cassie asked, shifting in her seat, obviously uncomfortable with what they were talking about. At least, Dean told himself, she was making an effort.

He looked past her, his mind flashing to all that had transpired since the last time he'd laid eyes on Cassie. It felt like a lifetime ago. Was it really almost two years? Terrible things and good came to mind. The crash, nearly losing his entire family, finding Jack and then almost losing her too. Every gory detail was etched in his mind and always would be, but he couldn't tell Cassie about those things. He didn't know how.

"Its part of the job." He shrugged, picking up his sandwich to fill the silence after with chewing.

"I was thinking about that, your job." Cassie folded her hands on the table top. "You know Parker? I checked around, his dad runs that place."

"I know." Dean said with his mouth full. What was she getting at?

"Anyway, he's always looking for new mechanics. You said once that your dad own a shop in Kansas." Cassie said smiling at him.

"He was part owner actually." Dena corrected her swallowing his food.

"Dean, you don't want to do this forever, do you?" Cassie asked him, lowering her voice. She leaned in closer to him, closing her hands over his empty hand.

"This is what I do, Cassie. My family needs me. Sam-"

"Sam is a grown man." Cassie interjected.

"This gig is too dangerous to do alone." Dean argued, shaking his head.

"Your dad does it alone." Cassie pointed out.

"Things are different with me, Sam and Jack." Dean said.

"See, right there, Jack would be with him. Though I can see how that might worry you anyway." Cassie said, her mouth tightening in a thin line as she forced herself to say Jack's name. "How did you even meet that girl?" She demanded with a look of distaste. Dean felt a twinge of annoyance, he pulled his hand away from hers, leaning as far back in his chair as he could.

"What's your problem with Jack?" Dean asked bluntly.

Cassie looked taken aback. She composed herself, rising from the table to cross to the fridge, taking out another drink for herself. Dean hadn't touched his.

"I think you could be a lot more than what you are now Dean, if you'd just listen to reason." Cassie said with her back to him.

"Answer the question." Dean said simply.

"I don't trust her." Cassie said turning to face him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You don't know her." Dean retorted.

'Do you know her?" Cassie shot back with her hands on her hips. She shook her head, giving him her back again.

"Of course I do, she's my friend. She's family." Dean said vehemently.

"Maybe you don't know your friend as well as you think." Cassie said softly. She took a long pull from her drink and walked back to the table.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked, hesitating for a second. Warning bells were going off like gongs in his mind. He glared at her without realizing it and was surprised when Cassie took a step back.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything." Cassie said narrowing her eyes at him, compensating for a moments intimidation.

"No, you brought Jack up, I want t o know what you were going to say." Dean demanded with calm he didn't feel.

Cassie's eyes slid to the hallway and quickly flicked back to him.

"What?" Dean asked rising to his feet at the same time.

"I think there's something you should see." Cassie told him raising her chin a bit, her expression emphatic.

If Dean was better with human nature, or maybe if he didn't give the benefit of the doubt to the people he cared for so much, he might have seen what happened next coming.

He followed Cassie close as she walked out of the kitchen, down the hallway, to the room she used as an office. She reached into the drawer of her second hand desk and pulled out a sealed manilla envelope.

"I haven't opened it, so I don't know what's inside." Cassie said hesitating as she laid the envelope down on the table. Dean eyed it like it was a snake he thought would strike at any moment, before picking it up and turning it over in his hands.

The envelope had Cassie's name and address, was stamped confidential and bore the return address of a man, whose name Dean didn't even see. All he saw were the words "Private Investigator" beneath the label.

"What the hell is this?" Dean demanded.

Cassie had at least the moderate intelligence not to answer and Dean found himself glaring down at the envelope in his hands.

"Are you going to open it?" Cassie asked. Okay, maybe moderate intelligence was giving her too much credit.

"You hired a P.I. to follow Jack around?" Dean growled looking up at her.

"I did not hire him, he helped me on a freelance story I did last year, I asked a favor." Cassie huffed defensively.

Dean broke eye contact with her, looking back down at the parcel. He made a defiant sound in his throat and ripped it open. Some dude following Jackie, what the hell could it be in the envelope? Her grabbing coffee for them at the diner? Entering Melanie's house in the middle of the afternoon with the doors unlocked and no alarms? Then him and Sam would be incriminated too. Common sense, if he'd bothered to listen to it, said that he, Sam or Jack would have noticed some guy sneaking around while they were in town.

He almost dropped the pictures as soon as he saw them.

Cassie hadn't hired a P.I. to follow his friend. She'd asked this man, this stranger, to dig into Jack's dark, sordid past.

The cover letter, he read, said something about the photo Cassie sent him being very helpful, that he'd found out her name was Jacqueline Fontenot and that she sometimes went by the alias 'Eric Shore'.

The first picture, he only gave a passing glance, was a photo of Jack from an Amber Alert when she disappeared, her long red hair framing her smirking face, with her stats written under it asking for any information. The sort of thing that fell on deaf ears mostly, cause who the hell was going to go out of their way to really look hard for a teenaged orphan from the back water bayou of New Orleans.

The mug shot made him recoil from the pictures. The kid in it was death walking.

Jack stared back at him sullenly, beaten down by life. Her hair was shorn till it was even shorter than Sam's was now, her skin was grey and dark circles looked like bruises. Her hollowed out, blank eyes dominated her over-thin face. A look in them that screamed that she didn't care whether she lived or died.

The charge was solicitation.

Cassie was saying something but Dean couldn't make it out. He wanted to burn the papers in his hand, cause there were more of them. More pictures of 'Eric', grainy and probably just security photos from the places in South Boston she'd been. Despair and rage were writ across her features, making Dean feel like he'd taken a hard blow to the body, he caught himself swaying a little bit and forced himself to snap out of it.

"Dean? Have you been listening to a word I've said?" Cassie demanded in frustration. She had to know that it was something along these lines, investigators didn't just drop something at your doorstep without giving you some kind of briefing about what was inside, Dean knew that for damn sure.

"Dean?" Cassie reached out and he jerked back, giving her a hard look that he reserved for the worst things he hunted. She reached down to pluck up a picture he'd dropped in the process, but he snatched it up before she could look at it.

"I can't believe you did this." He said, surprised his voice was so even. He scrubbed a hand over his face, pacing a step or two before turning back on her.

"How the hell could you do this?!" He yelled making her jump back in surprise. "Do you have any idea the trouble you could bring down on us, on her, by doing this?"

"I mean aside from the fact that its none of your Goddamn business!" Dean raged. He clenched his eyes closed tight and took a shaky breath, trying to calm down before he made a mistake and did something that he might later regret. Not likely, but still. He turned back to her and shrugged his shoulders.

"Jack is my family." He said regaining his cool. "I'm not going to make excuses, because there's nothing to excuse."

"I only did this because I care about you." She started to say softly.

"No, you wanted to hurt one of mine. Don't even try that shit with me." Dean snarled, low and angry.

"No, I-"

"Shut up." Dean whispered harshly, Cassie's mouth snapped shut.

"You were wrong to do this." Dean told her simply. He shrugged his shoulders again and picked up the envelope, shoving the pictures back inside. He took his lighter out and lit the corner of the envelope, watching the ends curl and blacken.

"You'll burn the house down!" Cassie exclaimed but didn't dare come close to him again.

When the fire spread over the middle of the envelop, Dean reached for a trash can and dropped the burning evidence into it. He watched it burn down, acrid smoke filling his senses. The irony of using fire to destroy Jack's past was not lost on him.

"I'm going to pretend that this never happened and walk away. Not going to hurt Jack by letting her know what a spiteful bitch you are." Dean stated without breaking his gaze with the flames.

"I've hurt people for doing a lot less than this to someone I care about." Dean finally looked at her, his face totally blank, completely devoid of emotion. Capable of anything.

"Don't call me again, don't call Sam, I don't ever want to hear from you after this." He finished. Dean walked out of the room and out of the house without looking back.

* * *

Sam called Dean's phone late that night, telling him they'd made it to St. Louis without having to shoot out anymore windows.

"Good, glad you got there alright." Dean told his brother, distractedly.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked quickly. Dean sounded completely robotic, cut off. Something really bad had happened, Sam thought dreadfully.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Dean answered back in that same monotone.

"Bull shit you are," Sam said, standing up from his bed. It was so late that they'd decided to stay the night at a motel near the cemetery and go back to Cape Girardeau in the morning.

"Did she do something to you again?" Sam demanded.

"Did who do something to me again?" Dean asked.

"Cut it out Dean. Did Cassie break things off with you again. I knew it, she strings you along when she needs something and then just-"

"No Sam." Dean interrupted his tirade.

"What did she do?" Sam asked after a beat of silence.

"Drop it Sam." Dean replied. "Just, drop it okay. Please."

Sam was taken aback. Dean didn't say please. Dean said 'Fuck you'. He said 'get your ass in gear' or just gave a look and walked away. He never said please.

"Okay, Dean." Sam said slowly. "Um, we're going to come back in the morning, it was late when we got here and we need to wait a little longer before dropping the bell off so no one sees us."

"Don't bother, tell me where you're staying and I'll get a ride there." Dean said.

"You sure? we have to go that way anyway." Sam asked frowning.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Dean said. Sam dropped it and gave the name and address of the place they'd found.

"See you tomorrow." Dean said by way of goodbye.

"Yeah, see ya." Sam said before hanging up his phone. He stared at it for a few minutes in confusion.

"Hey, you call him?" Jack asked coming out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair.

"Yeah, he's coming to us tomorrow." Sam said scratching his head.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Dunno." Sam shrugged. He tossed his cell on the nightstand and lay back in his bed, suddenly very tired. "Wake me up when its time to go." He told Jack.

"Sure." Jack sat down on her bed with a demonology text and her headphones blaring.

* * *

Dean pocketed his phone and stared down at the photos in front of him. They were a few shots taken of the three of them. Some Missouri had taken when they were at her house. Other were taken by Sam or Dean or Jack of the other tow and a couple on automatic timer that was too unbelievably hard to get right(how the hell can a person who can dismantle and put back together a shotgun in less than two minutes not know how to work an autotimer?!). The Jack in these pictures smiled, scowled, laughed or had a mouthful of food in one. She has emotion, life. Not the same girl at all that was in those terrible mug shots. Dean felt it like a constant heaviness in his chest, all that had been done to Jack, everything she'd overcome. He hated that it had been so easy for some stranger to dig up what she'd worked so hard to bury those short years ago.

Dean stood up abruptly, feeling the need to move come over him. He walked back and forth across the room. He unpacked his weapons, cleaned guns that didn't need cleaning, sharpened knives that didn't need sharpening. Finally he couldn't stand the inactivity and just grabbed his meager belongings and walked away from the little room. He walked to the local bus station, waiting for the first ride out of that damn town. The rest of the night was spent schooling himself not to let anything show. Last thing he needed was for his better halves(quarters? He didn't know) to take one look at him and see that he'd been body checked by this kind of shit again.

Dean took a grey hound to St. Louis at six in the morning.

* * *

Jack woke up to a scratching noise. Her eyes flew open at the sharp, metallic sound and she had her gun in hand. Someone was trying to pick the lock to their room.

A tap to her shoulder, Morse code. _Quiet. Stay down. _Sam said silently. Jack slid off the bed, crouching on the floor next to Sam, with her pistol cocked and ready, her eyes adjusted to the dark and she made out a knife in Sam's hand.

The door was flung open and the light flicked on, temporarily blinding them.

"Dean?" Sam asked squinting his eyes, mid-lunge.

"Good to see you guys are staying careful." Dean said with a smirk.

"You're a jerk." Jack muttered irritably. She got up, commanding her muscles to unclench, it was only Dean. She popped the clip out of her gun and tossed it onto her bed.

"You're going to blow yourself away one day, sleeping with a gun under your pillow." Dean warned, setting down three coffees on the table.

"More likely to shoot you than myself.:" Jack said without any real heat. She yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

"What time is it?" Sam asked rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Eleven, you lazy bastards." Dean chastised.

"We got in at seven, ass." Sam informed his brother sourly.

"Long night?" Dean asked.

"Chased by the groundskeeper's dogs, almost lost the stupid bell and were nearly arrested for trespassing, other than that it was peachy." Sam told him, giving Dean the bitch face.

"You wild man you." Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder. "I'm gone for one night and you're cutting loose."

"Yeah, it was a ball, all those strip clubs and body shots." Jack deadpanned.

"You wanna stick around, rest a little longer?" Dean asked turning serious.

"No, its fine." Sam answered for the both of them since Jack was currently inhaling coffee like it was oxygen.

"If you're sure." Dean shrugged flopping down in a chair.

Sam studied his brother intently, the circles under his eyes that showed he hadn't slept much the night before, the careful smirk and closed off pleasant expression on his eyes.

"You okay man?" Sam asked.

"Fine, Sammy." Dean answered too quickly.

"Interesting night?" Jack asked. That was as close to asking for details as she'd get. Jack didn't ask what wasn't offered. Cassie asked too much. Dean banished the comparison.

"Not really, Missouri isn't known for its fast times." Dean said flippantly.

"Lets get outta here." Sam said drinking down more than half of his coffee in one gulp. "The haunting in Wisconsin."

"We never did get paid for this job." Jack complained.

* * *

There was no real rush now that they were back together. Sam checked out while Jack and Dean packed up the car. When they were done they sat on the bumper in comfortable silence. Jack spoke first

"You know if-"

"I know."

"Then I'll-"

"Don't have to Jack." Dean laughed thinking about how over-protectiveness went both ways with them. Jack nodded, cracked her shoulder.

A thick lock of knotted hair fell in her eyes. Dean reached out and moved it away from her vision without thinking. Jack quirked an eyebrow at him but didn't ask any questions.

"Hey, all set?" Sam asked coming out of the office.

"Yup." Dean tossed the keys up in the air and Jack caught them.

"You want me to drive." She stated looking at him like he was possessed.

"Get your ass in the car before I change my mind." Dean said sliding into passenger side.

Sam smirked at Jack, his eyebrows raised comically. Jack shrugged, spinning the keys around her finger and got behind the wheel.

"Now just remember your rule Dean, Driver picks the tunes, shotgun shuts his cakehole." Jack told him with a devious look.

"Kill me, kill me now." Dean groaned.

"Suck it up, be a man." Jack said turning the ignition. She pulled out a tape she'd made awhile back. Dean rolled his eyes as it started in the middle of a song.

**-FIN**


End file.
